


A very subtle alchemy

by thrynn



Category: Lupin III
Genre: Beach Holidays, Fake Proposal, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mutual Pining, mostly focusing on the taking care of part ;), not terribly graphic, tw: blood/injury, tw: gunshot wound
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2020-08-04
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:28:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25319827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thrynn/pseuds/thrynn
Summary: Alchemy[ al-kuh-mee ]--i.e.) Any seemingly magical process of transforming or combining elements into something new.Jigen cleared his throat, “Also, I was thinking about it...Look, are you sure you want to leave separately? I don’t feel good about it, and before you say something about being superstitious...” He trailed off.Of course Lupin didn’t want to go their separate ways. Splitting off from Goemon and Fujiko was already annoying, but it was weird to part ways with Jigen. It felt unnatural. Like losing a limb.“It’s the best course of action,” Lupin decided reluctantly. He thought of what his Grandfather would say: know your pieces on the board.Jigen smiled unhappily.
Relationships: Jigen Daisuke/Arsène Lupin III
Comments: 29
Kudos: 101





	1. Aphrodite's Tear

Sometimes, when all was said and done, a diamond was just a cold, fancy rock. 

Everytime and through every heist, it was increasingly less about the object and more about the action of it all, anyway. There was a blissful excitement watching it all come together: the stage set as all of Lupin’s best players assumed their respective positions. Jigen, unseen but there somewhere on a building adjacent, watching through the lens of his sniper rifle. Goemon, also unseen, sitting somewhere just outside, waiting for Jigen’s signal. Fujiko--okay, she was a little more tricky to move into place, but he’d seen her on the way into the luxe mansion, disguised as the staff (though it was almost ridiculous to think someone with her looks and charisma would settle for anything less than the role of a queen). Zenigata was another uncertain character, one that was mostly working against him, but it did add a splash of excitement to see if he’d figure it all out. And now the heist rolled along, like puzzle pieces clicking into place, just so. 

When he was younger, Lupin’s grandfather was constantly challenging him to games of chess. At the time it had been exasperating, Lupin very rarely won against him, but he could appreciate it now. Heists were a lot like chess, understanding your opponent as well as the power of your own pieces and how to move them across the board. Lupin’s father preferred to play the king, letting the pieces do all the work, but it wasn’t like that for Lupin’s grandfather. Nor the present Lupin. No, he preferred moving across the board freely, and if anyone was going to make a dicey move, it may as well be him. 

It was nighttime and he was attending a gala. To be more precise, he was attending the gala on behalf of Alistair Du Pont, who was sleeping off the effects of a drugged glass of scotch in his limo, stripped to his underwear and tied up along with the limo driver in the backseat. 

Now, dressed to the nines, he stepped through the dry California heat and into the cool marble mansion with the air of someone who was not impressed by the rich interiors and lavish decorations, trying not to itch at the sides of the mask sticking to his sideburns. 

The owners of this mansion were practically begging to be robbed, anything decorating the main ballroom would have fetched a small fortune on its own. Luckily for the Cushing family, it was just the Aphrodite’s Tear that he was interested in.

Another piece of the puzzle stepped into the room: the lovely, lovely miss Michelle Cushing. Soft red-brown curls fell gracefully down her shoulders, her eyes glimmered an unusually cobalt shade of blue, and the smooth flawlessness of her face looked soft and glamorous. Anyway, she didn’t quite compare to Fujiko, but who could? 

“My lady,” Lupin said, pressing a barely-there kiss on the back of her hand. Ladies ate that kind of thing right up, especially classy ones. And this lady was no different, he detected a flush to her neck, her lips turning up at the corners.

Another puzzle piece clicking into place, easy as pie.

And here it was, wrapped innocuously as ever around Michelle’s finger. The Aphrodite’s Tear was a 20-carat, round brilliant cut blue diamond, the size and color of a fat blueberry. He’d tracked the diamond back to Michelle’s father and figured out that she was the one he’d given it to. Quite a liability to be wearing around, he thought. Still, Lupin couldn’t quite suppress a smile at the thought that somewhere, Fujiko was going feral at the idea of slipping the same little sparkly rock on her own finger.

It wasn’t really the look of the Aphrodite’s Tear that drew him to steal it, rather the long and tumultuous legend connected to it. Since its discovery, the Tear had been stolen over 20 times. The diamond had passed through Lupin’s grandfather’s hands at some point--before he’d gifted it to one of his lovers. Well, maybe that was in his blood, too, Lupin thought brightly, scanning the crowd for Fujiko. If Lupin the first could do it, so could Lupin the third. Perhaps, with more panache. 

A dance, a few glasses of champagne, Lupin’s charm in dangerous full force and he’d managed to schmooze his way into Michelle’s bedroom. There were other ways to steal a ring, but this window was facing the direction of the building Jigen was waiting on top of. The night was going without a hitch so far, but he had a feeling in his gut to be careful anyway. 

He glanced out the window as he stepped into the room, just as a car pulled haphazardly into the garden. A cop car. He glanced at his (well, Alistair’s) watch. 

_ A bit ahead of schedule, Pops, not bad. _

Now was the time to move. So he jerked his shoulders in surprise when he heard a small gasp. The light hadn’t turned on, and Lupin flicked the switch but it remained off. A figure stood in the room across from him, behind Michelle, obscured by shadow.

“Don’t move.” The click of a gun echoed in the room, sounding loud in the dark and quiet.

Lupin raised his hands, trying to suppress the grin curling the edges of his lips. Unprecedented but not unplanned for. “Now that’s not very nice,” he chided.

“I said don’t move, take a step closer and--”

The gun had a silencer, but the blast was enough to elicit a terrified squeak from Michelle. The bullet whizzed past Lupin’s leg, burrowing into the armchair behind him.

“Oooh, scary, but you missed me~ I suppose that was my warning shot?” Lupin sighed, “Can’t I just call finder’s keepers and leave it at that?”

“You’re no aristocrat,” the voice hissed, “I know who you are.”

“Oh?”

“Lupin the third. You’re after the Aphrodite’s Tear.” The figure was moving, crab walking closer to the window. Good. He was keeping Michelle in front of him though. Not so good.

“Ha! What gave me away? I thought I was doing a pretty good job!” Lupin pouted, “Look, how about this, Michelle hands you the diamond on her finger and you let her step over here unharmed.”

He could see the whites of her eyes in the faint moonlight coming in through the window, trembling. It was natural to be scared in these kinds of circumstances, but fear made people do wild things and wild things often were not ones he could predict or plan for.

“Michelle,” he adopted his gentlest voice, untensing his shoulders and leaning to look more casual. Calmness was the best bluff.

“Almost have a clear shot. Girl’s in the way.” Jigen’s tinny voice said in his ear.

“Darling,” he said, amping up the warmness, opening his arms toward her, “Hand that brute your ring and then step right into my arms and I swear I’ll keep you safe.”

She was nodding, eyes wide and frightened as a deer. She wrenched the ring off and threw it behind her, reaching for him.

Not the best choice. Lupin grabbed her hand and pulled her to him just as the figure crouched to dig around for the ring on the rug at their feet. Jigen’s shot was a millisecond too late, whizzing over the shadowed figure’s head.

Lupin tried to hide the grimace, the figure’s head whipped up, looked at the perfectly round bullethole cracking the window. 

“Hey,” Lupin said, pushing Michelle behind him, hands rising again, fingers flexing.

Michelle, instead of maybe taking a step behind the armchair or just standing sensibly behind him, screamed and darted for the door.

Lupin heard the click of the trigger and dove for Michelle without thinking. They both went clattering to the floor, her shrieking under him. He felt the bullet slice through his side and stick there.

The pain was momentarily blinding, it washed over him in short intense waves, but it also sent his adrenaline skyrocketing. Lupin was already aware of everything in the room, but now his senses heightened further and everything seemed too loud, too slow. 

“Lupin!” scratched the voice of Jigen in his earpiece, “Did he get you?”

“No, I’m fine,” Lupin lied, his voice tense. Pain was sharp, focusing. His Walther P38 was already in his hand, he yanked the safety and shot back. 

The figure cursed, gun clattering to the floor. Lupin lurched onto his hands, using the wall to push himself toward the figure. He slid across the smooth polished floor and kicked the gun to the other side of the room. 

The figure, meanwhile, was spooked enough to go for the window.

“I have a shot,” Jigen said.

“Just let him go,” Lupin said. His eyes fluttered closed for a moment. 

“Y-you...! Are you really who he said you were?” Michelle demanded, voice shaking, “Lupin the third?”

“At your service, darling,” cooed Lupin, ripping off the Alistair mask. The cool air to his face felt good. His fingers grazed the fur rug as he pushed himself up, stiffly. His thumb nudged something hard and cold.

So the rival robber hadn’t found it. Lucky, lucky.

The door swung open and Lupin swept the ring under his palm, the edges of the diamond cutting comfortingly into his palm.

“Lady Cushing,” cried a voice. Well, not just any voice. Lupin glanced up at Fujiko in her simple black cocktail dress as she helped Michelle up, “What happened?”

“There was a robber and...and…” Michelle looked back to Lupin, “H-he’s…” 

Lupin winced and tried to splay across the rug sensuously, “Don’t mind little old me--though I have to say the view from down here is just exquisite.”

Fujiko rolled her eyes, ushering Michelle out, “I’ll call security, and we can get a doctor if you--”

“But  _ he’s  _ Lupin the third,” Michelle was moaning, “And my ring’s  _ gone _ !”

He saw Fujiko’s shadow halt in the door as he scrambled to his feet, “What about your ring?”

“I’m shooting the zipline, standby,” Jigen’s voice alerted him.

“Careful, I saw Pops pull in.” Lupin said, pushing the window open. He dropped down onto a veranda underneath.

Goemon sat cross legged on the veranda siding, sliding the blade of his Zantetsuken back into its sheath. 

“Dare I ask what you just used your sword to cut?” Lupin asked, a little dazed.

“Some fellow just came climbing out of the same window as you,” Goemon said serenely, “I used the back of my blade, another thing unfit for the Zantetsuken.”

Lupin glanced down to see a figure sprawled unceremoniously in the bushes below, mask and shirt split in two. 

“Good going Goemon, but unnecessary. We gotta get out of here before Pops…”

“Inspector Zenigata already left the mansion.”

Lupin paused. There were two great wheel marks left like scars in the gravel just within the garden. “Huh,” Lupin scratched his head, “Then that means…”

“Time to go,” Goemon interrupted.

There was a whizzing sound and then a crack overhead as Jigen’s zipline arched over their heads, anchoring into the roof of the mansion. They’d have to climb up the side of the mansion to get to it, though.

Lupin gritted his teeth, lifting his arms pulled at his side but he scrambled up and behind Goemon anyway. Goemon used the Zantetsuken’s sheath over his head to slide down the zipline, Lupin panting behind him, gripping the wall siding and then clattering up onto the roof.

He was reaching for the zipline when Fujiko popped out the front door, far below him.

“Lupin!” Fujiko called up at him, “This wasn’t the plan! Do you have it?”

“Plans change, Fujicakes!” He blew her a soppy kiss as he secured his winch clamp over the zipline, “I’ll just have to propose to you later~”

Unless he didn’t make it, Lupin was beginning to wonder if he’d be able to hold himself up. Blood was dripping down his leg now and into his shoe.

“Lupin! I want that ring!” He could see her stamp her foot and grinned, charmed, as he launched off the edge of the roof.

The sharp pain in his side made his head spin and he blinked spots out of his eyes before the final lurch next to Jigen, waiting for him. Jigen snapped the line with a pair of bolt cutters and they went running down the stairs of the building where the yellow Fiat lay in wait, Goemon already sitting in the backseat.

Lupin slid into the passenger’s seat.

“You don’t wanna drive?” Jigen raised his brows.

“Nah, still catching my breath if it’s all the same to you.” The wound would be concealed if he stayed in the passenger’s seat, otherwise Jigen would have noticed. He looked out the window, shuddering at the feeling of the blood congealing in his shoe.

He could feel his face and lips going pale, but laughed it off when Jigen gave him a sideways glance. His keen eyes weren’t likely to miss anything but he didn’t want Jigen to feel responsible. This is what happened during heists. There were always risks, and this was small potatoes in the grand scheme of things. He tried not to sag against his seat, hoping his blood wouldn’t stain the leather covers, as he caught his breath.

“So  _ do _ you have the ring?" Jigen asked.

“Yup. Gotta love a good fur rug.” Lupin winked, “Great for hiding things in, but it didn’t match the drapes.”

Jigen grinned, cigarette drooping crookedly from between his teeth, “They never do.”

“I’d be careful about going back to the hideout,” Lupin said, pressing his hand against the wound. It throbbed angrily against his palm. Oof, his back stung too whenever the Fiat bumped over an imperfection in the street. He shifted uncomfortably. “If Pops left the party before the bang, it’s probably bad news for us.”

To be safe, they stowed the Fiat with an old friend of Jigen’s, nabbing some disguises as they went, and regrouping at a gas station nearby. 

Lupin checked on his wound in the mirror of the bathroom while Jigen organized a rendez-vous with a new vehicle. 

The hole in his side was ragged and still stung. It was still freely oozing blood, but it didn’t feel like the bullet had hit anything vital, Lupin had enough experience to tell that much, at least. He pulled out his personal first aid kit. With a pair of tweezers, trying to steady his shaky hand, he carefully teased the bullet back out of his side, hissing under his breath. He poured cheap vodka over it to disinfect the wound, biting down on his belt so he wouldn’t make a sound and alert someone to his presence. He made quick work of stitching the wound back up. The needle was sharp and he barely felt it beyond the mess of pain. He wrapped the end result tightly, gasping for a moment. He packed the kit away again and worked on breathing slow, steadying breaths to regain his composure. 

The fresh disguise was simple enough. There was a fake nose and moustache that itched his lip, but Jigen’s friend’s clothes were loose and baggy enough not to bother the wrappings. A pair of worn jeans hung low on his hips, and the teeshirt (dark blue with the bizarre word MILK printed in the middle) ran long, almost to his thighs. He pulled a dark hoodie over his shoulders, wiping the sheen of cold sweat from his brow, slapping his face with warm water to coax some color back into his cheeks. 

He was glad to be rid of the aristocratic clothes, they were incriminatingly wet with his blood. He ditched them in a dumpster and wandered back to look for Jigen. 

Jigen was waiting for him in front of the gas station, though he didn’t exactly look like Jigen anymore--hair pulled back into a ponytail, he wore a pair of sunglasses, a trucker hat, and an old bomber jacket. 

Jigen glanced through the yellow lenses of the sunglasses at him, two cigarettes sat limply between his lips. He plucked one out and handed it to Lupin as he approached. 

“What are you supposed to be,” Lupin grinned, “An aging hipster?”

“Shuddup.” Jigen smirked back at him, “You look like an eboy.”

“Touche,” Lupin took a deep drag off the cigarette, “Where’s Goemon? Did I just not recognize him or--”

“Nah, he hopped a taxi and left for Japan.”

“What! Already? We don’t even know for sure the hideout’s been compromised, yet.”

“Your instincts are rarely off, Lupin.” Jigen said, “Besides, he said he’s been missing soba noodles and miso.”

“There are plenty of places to get that around here, we’re right outside LA.”

“Goemon is Goemon. Maybe he just wants to sit under a waterfall for a couple of weeks, what’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing at all,” Lupin started, still feeling slighted.

“But I mean, I wouldn’t shoot off to Greece when I’m hankering for a gyro.” 

Lupin laughed, “Well why the hell not. And a gyro don’t sound half bad about now.” He slouched against the wall, adrenaline depleting. He was starting to feel the ache in his bones, the stress of his joints, and the weakness from his blood loss. “I’ll send a message after we check on the hideout so Fujiko doesn’t come sniffing around.”

“If you stashed the rock, she’s bound to come looking for you, anyway.” Jigen scoffed.

“Sure, sure,” Lupin waved a hand nonchalantly, “And she’ll be so happy when I hand over the ring, she’ll probably--”

“Spare me the details,” Jigen rolled his eyes, “I really hope you were kidding about proposing to her, no good will come from an unholy union like that.”

“Aw, Jigen-chan, are you being jealous?”

“Keep dreaming.”

“Then you’re just worried about me.” Lupin sighed, watching the smoke from their cigarettes roll lazily into the air above them, “How nice.”

“I can’t help but worry a little,” Jigen admitted.

Lupin stiffened slightly and glanced back at him, “Getting a bit sappy in your old age?” 

“Maybe. Are you sure you’re okay?” Jigen asked. 

Good ol’ Jigen. He was calling Lupin’s bluff, but Lupin wasn’t ready to cop to anything yet. Jigen had an uncanny sixth sense for anyone hiding something from him. 

“Of course.” Lupin said easily, “I’m Lupin the third, I’ve practically got nine lives.”

“I think that’s a cat, and even by their standards, you’re running out of lives, pal.”

“If the hideout really is compromised, I guess we’ll be taking a break from all this, anyway.”

“Oh?”

“It might be best for us to go separate ways for a few weeks while the heat dies down, people will be expecting us to stick together.”

Jigen puffed on his cigarette, “That’s never stopped us before.”

“Look, it won’t just be Fujiko and Zenigata lookin’ for this little lady,” Lupin said, rolling the ring into his hand.

Jigen shrugged, looking mildly discomfited at the thought. A man rolled up in a jeep before he could say anything about it, though. 

The roads near the hideout were, indeed, blocked off. Cop cars were littered around the apartment and they had to slip through a checkpoint just to get back out. Lupin’s heart sank a little as he convinced Jigen to stop at a payphone.

The phone barely rang twice before Fujiko picked up. “Lupin, you got the ring, didn’t you?” she asked immediately.

“ _ Hello Lover, nice hearing your sexy voice. That sure was dashing what you did back there _ ,” Lupin said in his best Fujiko falsetto, “Happy to hear from you too, Fujicakes.”

“Lupin.” She sounded annoyed.

“Hideout’s compromised. Can’t imagine how that happened.”

“Look, I had to get that crazy cop out of the gala before he really caused a scene. Did you get it or didn’t you?”

“I did, and it’s nice and hidden for the time being. Don’t you trust me, Fujicakes?”

“Don’t Fujicakes me--you’ll really give it to me, though?”

“You know I love to lavish you with gifts, darling~”

“Yes.” She gave a little sigh, “Hideout’s shot, so where will you go?”

“I have a feeling this city’s gonna be crawling with would-be thieves, so it’s better if I don’t say--unless you wanted to join me…? I’m thinking a beach somewhere hot, me, you, one of your skimpiest bikinis...or hey! How about Europe! A topless beach, let’s say--”

“I’m hanging up,” she said darkly.

“Hey,” he said, voice smoothing over into something more serious, “Promise me you’ll take a little vacation from things while this dies down.”

“Oh god,” she had the most charming laugh, “Don’t tell me you’re worried about  _ me _ ? Oh, Lupin, that’s precious.”

“Isn’t it natural for me to worry a little bit about you? Fujicakes?”

“Please. I’m more than capable of taking care of myself, in more ways than one,  _ Lover _ .”

“I bet, you minx,” Lupin growled teasingly into the phone, “Love it when you talk dirty.”

“We always find each other, don’t we? I’ll be waiting for you.”

“Just the way I like you best, waiting for me.”

She hung up. Lupin found himself pressing against his side, bandages scratching against the loose teeshirt. He glimpsed his reflection in the glass window of the phonebooth. He looked like hell. He rustled up a spring in his step back toward the jeep. 

Jigen was on his third cigarette, tapping a frenetic beat on the steering wheel. “Well, how was she? Eager to get her little paws on that rock, I bet.”

“More than just one rock if you know what I mean,” Lupin said, but it felt more half-hearted than he intended it to. “Where will you go, Jigen-chan?”

“I haven’t decided yet. Been a while since we’ve been on a break.” He chewed the butt of his cigarette restlessly. “You’ll lie low though, right? You aren’t gonna try to meet Fujiko just to give her the ring, are you?”

“Haha, no.” Lupin said, fidgeting with it. Now that he had it, things were all the more complicated. Usually that would excite him, but Lupin at half-power didn’t make the odds very inspiring. He tossed the ring and Jigen jerked from his seat to catch it. “In fact, why don’t you hold on to it for me?”

“Me?” Jigen huffed on his cigarette, looking bewildered.

“It’s not a proposal, you don’t have to look that shocked,” Lupin laughed.

“I didn’t think it was,” Jigen coughed, pulling his hat down irritably.

“I trust you. It’s not like you’re gonna wedge it on your finger and gaze at it by a pool at some hotel plaza on the Mediterannean.”

“Hey, you never know.” Jigen said, eyes playful, “I could get working on my tan.”

“You do look good with some color on you,” Lupin waggled his eyebrows.

Jigen sputtered out a laugh, “I was thinking the same thing.”

They both laughed heartily at the thought.

There was always traffic in LA, even now as the night sky deepened. They sat through it together, Lupin struggling to stay awake. He finally nodded off while Jigen hummed along to a concerto on the car radio.

He woke up, cheek mashed against the cold car window. They were at an airport. Jigen was rooting through the substantial pile of half smoked cigarettes in the ashtray.

Lupin’s face felt hot now, and his tongue felt thick. His head throbbed but it was nothing compared to the roaring pain in his side. He rolled back into the seat, groaning through the stiffness in his back. 

“You could have woken me up.” Lupin said groggily. 

“Nah, you were sleeping like a baby,” Jigen said with a smile. He cleared his throat, “Also, I was thinking about it...Look, are you sure you want to leave separately? I don’t feel good about it, and before you say something about being superstitious...” He trailed off.

Of course Lupin didn’t  _ want  _ to go their separate ways. Splitting off from Goemon and Fujiko was already annoying, but it was weird to part ways with Jigen. It felt unnatural. Like losing a limb. 

“It’s the best course of action,” Lupin decided reluctantly. He thought of what his Grandfather would say:  _ know your pieces on the board _ .

Jigen smiled unhappily, “Well, here you are, then. I figured you should avoid LAX. Do you have a passport you can use?”

“Yup. And I’ll contact you as soon as I get to the new hideout,” Lupin said, voice full of fake cheer, “In fact, here, enjoy your vacation on my dime!” He reached for his pocket but Jigen stopped him.

“It’s alright.” He said flatly, “Don’t make this something it isn’t.”

“Hey.” Lupin said, his sleep-rough voice tried to be softer, “You don’t have to look sad about it, Jigen.”

“I’m not. You know I friggin hate goodbyes so just hop off and let’s do it.” Jigen looked over at Lupin, gnawing on his cigarette uneasily.

“It’s not a goodbye, really,” Lupin said with a lopsided grin as he slid out of the jeep. He leaned back in through the window, “See ya later, Jigen.” 

“Hmph.” Jigen didn’t look at him but Lupin could feel his gaze on his back as he sauntered into the airport. He didn’t look back for the jeep to leave, not when his guts were tight with the feeling that he didn’t really want to spend any amount of time alone, aching and partnerless.

Which hideout would it be, he wondered dully as he stepped on the escalator up to departures. A townhouse in Florence, he thought, but Italian food was bound to make him miss Jigen. Maybe a cottage in Wales--no, on second thought that’d be too cold. A villa condo in Barcelona might be nice, but then he’d be thinking of Fujiko as he passed all the girls in their summer dresses and short shorts. There was always Monaco, but he didn’t feel like going back home by himself. His thoughts drifted to somewhere warm, anyway; he was shivering, even in his hoodie. He couldn’t tell if it was the brutal California air conditioning or just his body being useless, but his teeth were chattering as he slid up to the ticket counter. 

Thinking of the sun, the ocean, and (bizarrely) gyros, his mind settled on one of the little white houses with red tiled roofs he was renting in Greece.


	2. To Eat a Gyro

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jigen and Lupin share one brain cell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [More Blood&Injury in this chapter, head's up! But it's not terribly graphic~ ]

All the way down the interstate toward another airport, Jigen tried not to keep looking at the empty car seat next to him. It wasn’t like it was the first time he was running solo, but there was a growing unease that made his stomach heavy.

He trusted Lupin, sure. But Lupin didn’t always know what was best for himself, even if he thought he did. Smug bastard. 

He worried the cigarette between his teeth before spitting it out the window. 

He grabbed the earliest flight to New Mexico and ditched the old hipster outfit for something a bit classier--well as classy as an outfit he bought at an airport could be, anyway. 

Ever since Lupin had mentioned parting ways, he’d been carding through his options. He’d thought about hiding out in Italy, but that just reminded him of chasing Lupin around with his impulsive millionaire ex-wife. England would be rainy and cold, he didn’t need that while also being solo. Barcelona had bullfighters, so that figured high on his list, but he could just imagine Lupin choosing the same so he quickly nixed the idea--how stupid would he look choosing the same hideout. There was France, but France felt sad without Lupin there. That’s when he remembered the little white house with the red tiled roof in Greece. They’d only been there for a couple of weeks, Lupin was hellbent on stealing the artist’s original statuette study of the Venus de Milo. The idea for the heist had been formed during a drunken bet, as all of the best were. The damn thing had actually been a replica, the real one packed up with a collector in France. That was a heist Lupin had pulled off with just Jigen, so there were good memories there. 

Greece it was; the flight would be leaving in a couple hours. Enough time for him to get a burger and wander aimlessly.

Can I pull off a cowboy hat, he wondered vaguely. He grinned at his reflection and then scowled and put it back on the rack. Of course he could, but maybe a straw hat was better suited for Greece.

His thoughts swirled back, unbidden, to Lupin. What would he be doing in Barcelona? He could just picture him now--flirting with tourists, maybe getting a tan, himself. Disguised as a bullfighter? Jigen pushed that thought away. Or maybe he’d just mope on a beach somewhere, hoping Fujiko would show up. She wouldn’t though, not if Jigen was the one holding the genuine article.

There had been something off about him before they’d parted ways that was still bothering Jigen. He’d noticed Lupin’s hands shaking in the Fiat before they’d stashed it. He thought maybe the pastiness was residual makeup from the aristocratic douche disguise. He didn’t look so great after the change at the gas station either, though, but it was damn hard to really see with those sunglasses on. He was used to Lupin falling asleep in the car, but his hand kept fluttering to his side, like he was subconsciously guarding something. Jigen had checked that the diamond was still in his jacket pocket twice, just to be sure. If it wasn’t the diamond, he was trying to hide something from Jigen, specifically. Which meant he’d gotten nicked during the heist and was too proud to admit it.

The friggin ego of that man.

He needed to stop thinking about Lupin or he’d drive himself crazy in his solitude, he thought, as the plane took off. He’d stashed the damned ring in a metal sunglasses case. The security guards were more interested in the magnum. Couldn’t leave her behind. They’d looked at the fake clearance ID close enough to almost make him nervous, but then that was that. 

Jigen tapped his foot restlessly. He felt naked without his magnum. And not in a good way. Mercifully, he fell into a dreamless sleep and woke up just as the air pressure changed and the plane started to land. 

The sun was glaringly bright in Greece. He had to think about where the hideout was for a good second before he could signal for a cab. 

He was almost impressed with himself, things were going smoothly. He noted that the suit jacket was not a good choice for the weather, though; it had been made too cheaply. He thought a little sadly about the jackets and hats he’d left behind in the LA hideout.

This hideout flat was smaller than he remembered, he dug a handful of keys out of his pocket and puzzled over which one went to this one in particular. He should start labeling them…

“Mr. Jigen?” 

It was a woman’s voice. He knew it was paranoid but his shoulder’s stiffened as he wondered for a split second if it was Fujiko, somehow there to claim the diamond ring. Over his friggin dead body. But as he turned, he found himself looking down at the familiar form of this hideout’s landlady.

“Hey…” He started awkwardly. Lupin would have remembered her name. He wasn’t sure if he’d even interacted with her directly.

“I’m surprised to see you here,” the landlady said warmly, “Did you come to join your friend?”

“Uh...sure.” Jigen said, knitting his eyebrows. What friend did she mean?

She pointed to the short brown key on the ring, “That’s a lot of keys you have there! Here to enjoy Greece for the holidays?”

What holiday was it? Jigen just nodded stiffly and jammed the key into the lock, cautiously peering inside. He stepped through the door, the magnum a comforting weight tucked in the back of his pants under his jacket. He tried to relax his shoulders. Nothing good came from being jumpy.

The flat was...empty. 

He surveyed the couch in the living room, overlooking a prize view of the Mediterannean coast, the spotless, white kitchen, the blue and white tiled bathroom, leaving the bedroom for last. The bedroom was mostly empty besides a plush, king-sized bed. The sheets were rumpled by a nondescript black bag, tossed carelessly at the foot of the bed.

The bag looked too small for Fujiko, but that paranoia was still on the forefront of his mind. He nudged the bag open with the nozzle of his gun, a pair of boxers spilling out along with several odds and ends and what looked like a fake hand.

“L-Lupin?!” He sputtered in surprise.

Gyros. Tans. The Mediterranean. He could have smacked himself. Is that why Lupin had thought of Greece? He was the stupid one, after all, Lupin hadn’t decided on Barcelona, he’d settled on Greece, too.

Then where was he?

_ Dammit _ . 

Jigen considered leaving right then, hopping on a plane to Barcelona, disappearing before Lupin knew he’d been there--but that whisper of worry in his brain about Lupin’s off-ness gave him pause.

He stripped off the cheap jacket and changed into something cooler--shorts and a tropical printed silk shirt. He even put on the straw hat. Why the hell not? Vacation mode. When Lupin saw him, he wasn’t going to budge. They’d both gotten here, separately, so they didn’t need to go solo anymore. 

Still cursing under his breath, he returned outside. He didn’t have to walk far at all. It was the first friggin gyro shop in sight. 

There Lupin was, sitting at the crowded outdoor patio, taking a bite of a massive gyro. He was wearing the lowest cut tank Jigen had ever seen with a pair of pink banana print shorts, a little sunscreen slathered over his nose.

Their eyes met, Lupin’s widened. He choked, pointing at Jigen.

Jigen raised his eyebrows and grinned.

“Jigen!” Lupin swallowed. “Wait--Jigen??” 

“Hey.” Jigen said, ambling toward him.

Lupin coughed, gulping down some water. He looked well and truly shocked, “What are you doing here?!”

“You didn’t tell me which hideout you were going to, idiot!”

“I didn’t.” Lupin said vaguely. His eyes sharpened, “But neither did you!”

“I told you I hadn’t decided,” Jigen said, ducking under the shade of the patio umbrella and slipping into the chair opposite him.

“So that means we picked the same place by coincidence…?”

Jigen watched him carefully, an annoying tightness in his chest, but then Lupin exploded into a bout of laughter. The sound evaporated that tension in seconds. Lupin’s hysterical giggles were infectious and the fond smirk Jigen hadn’t noticed curling his lips grew into a replying outbreak of chuckles from him, too. Lupin gasped for air, still laughing weakly.

Jigen slouched over the table, picking up a stray piece of meat off Lupin’s plate, “Since we’re both here already, there’s no point in one of us leaving.” 

Lupin leaned back against his chair, still catching his breath, “Guess you’re stuck with me after all, Jigen-chan.”

“Lucky me.” He dug in his pockets for a box of cigarettes, fingers bumping up against the metal sunglasses case. He tapped a cigarette out of the dwindling box.

Lupin’s keen eyes gazed evenly back into his, he already had a lighter in hand. Jigen leaned forward to light the cigarette, eyes trained on Lupin’s hand; there was still a slight tremor to it. Lupin dropped the lighter suddenly, cursing with a little laugh, shaking his hand and flexing his fingers. Jigen met his eyes but didn’t say anything, propping his feet on the empty chair beside him, and leaning back into his usual lounging posture.

Lupin’s eyes were wistful as he rubbed his shaky wrist, staring over the hills and houses beyond the patio, to the perfectly green-blue Mediterranean. The shadow of the braided umbrella tassels danced in the breeze. For the moment, they let the idle chatter around wash over them like waves, in different languages. The distant roar of the ocean and the gulls crying overhead added a peaceful ambience. 

The ice in Lupin’s glass of water clinked and Jigen watched condensation run down the sides, eyes drifting to Lupin’s legs, crossed under him in the chair like a kid. Lupin leaned into his hand and sighed. Jigen let the nicotine ebb away his anxiety, watching him, flicking the ash of his cigarette with a lazy smile.

Lupin rarely let himself indulge in these quiet sort of moods in front of anyone else. Jigen knew it was a hard won privilege of his alone to see Lupin without his usual barrier of charm. Now that the initial shock of seeing him had worn off, in the bright unforgiving sunlight, Jigen’s earlier suspicions were laid bare. Lupin definitely had the pallor of someone anemic and there was a glassiness to his eyes. He looked tired and unwell.

Lupin gazed back at him for a moment, remembering himself with a gentle smile, “I’m actually really glad you’re here, Jigen.” He said honestly.

Jigen’s ears felt like they were on fire, “Oh?” He said, voice almost convincingly impassive. He fiddled with his cigarette fussily, coughing.

“Yeah, I was starting to think I’d get lonely without you.” 

Jigen smiled, “You, lonely? That seems unlikely.”

“It’s more likely than you’d think.”

Jigen took a deep drag from his cigarette, “Well I’m glad I’m here with you, too.” 

Lupin gazed at him for a moment, Jigen’s heart stuttering from the attention, and then shook his head. 

“Anyway--gyros! We ended up zipping off across the world for one after all. Should I grab you one?” Lupin said, lightly, but Jigen could see the subtle strain in his face as he untangled his legs from the chair and started to get up. He grabbed the side of the table, sucking the air through his teeth sharply, as his legs wobbled unsteadily under him.

Jigen lurched forward to steady him, out of instinct, foot catching on the arm of the other chair he’d been lounging in. With a panicked grunt, he scrabbled for something to catch himself with, but in the end it was the entire tablecloth that came down with him. 

The chatter of the patio had stopped and now the two of them were suddenly spectacles to be stared at. Jigen’s one ankle was still caught in the chair, the rest of him had thudded to the ground, the tablecloth and the glass of water with him. The platter with the gyro balanced precariously at the edge of the table. Lupin had slumped, stunned, back into his seat, a helpless giggle frozen on his face. 

The sunglasses case had tumbled out of Jigen’s pocket, the impact from the fall juttering it open. There was the Aphrodite’s Tear, rolling out of the case and stopping at Lupin’s sandaled feet.

He winced at the sudden whispers of, “Woah! Look at the size of that diamond!” and “That guy must be loaded!”

Jigen blinked up at Lupin, who was trying really hard not to convulse with laughter. 

And all the eyes on them--God, Jigen thought, this was it, they were compromised, already.

That is, until someone gasped, “Oh my GOD, I think he’s going to propose.”

Jigen could practically hear the gears whirring in Lupin’s head, his eyes flashing as he bent down, one hand sliding tenderly over Jigen’s shoulder, the other carefully picking up the ring.

“Is  _ that  _ why you surprised me here?” Lupin asked, exaggerating his voice so everyone could hear. He winked at Jigen to play along, “To propose?”

Jigen untangled his other leg from the chair, brushing himself off, as if he had any dignity left. He didn’t like where this was going, but he didn’t really have a choice, Lupin had put him on the spot. No,  _ Jigen  _ himself had put both of them on the spot. 

“That’s right,” he announced gruffly.

Lupin smiled widely, nodding for him to continue.

“So, what do you say?” Jigen said, face burning with all the attention from the entire patio. Even the cooks from the kitchen and servers were poking their heads around to see what had happened.

“I say, of  _ course _ , darling~” Lupin said, fake tears glittering in his eyes. He slid the ring on his long, hairy finger. The little bastard. It fit, too.

“G-good.” Jigen said, clearing his throat, “Then let’s get friggin married.” 

God!  _ Why _ was everyone still staring?

Lupin threw his arms around Jigens neck, “Yes! A thousand times, yes!”

Jigen awkwardly stood up and the patio erupted into applause. The servers replaced the table cloth, the cup of water, and gave Jigen his own gyro--on the house. Jigen’s face felt like it would burn off, he would have thrown five times the price of it at them, just to be left alone. 

All the while Lupin periodically swooned moonily at the ring, his arm coddled around Jigen’s neck as Jigen wolfed down his gyro stonily, half hoping he’d choke on it just so this would end. 

Eventually everyone lost interest. 

...Eventually.

Jigen hated this play at intimacy between them, mostly because, even fake, it made his chest ache painfully as if it was real. Lupin was, by nature, a touchy guy, but Jigen would have never admitted to enjoying it so much. It annoyed him that he didn’t have to  _ act _ bashful about it, it was genuine. 

Lupin grinned as he licked the remnants of his own gyro off his fingers, with dainty flourish.

“So, future hubby, what did you have planned for our next date?” Lupin said, waggling his eyebrows. He moved his arm to play at Jigen’s chest but Jigen caught sight of his sudden wince before Lupin could hide it.

Jigen glanced down. Red was blooming over Lupin’s side, staining his shirt.

Lupin reluctantly met Jigen’s gaze. “Oops, when’d that happen?”

Jigen put his hand over Lupin’s forehead and Lupin squawked but didn’t jerk away from his touch. Though he’d been expecting it, Jigen’s stomach lurched when he felt how hot Lupin’s forehead was. He was burning up. 

Worry made him focus, this close he could see the sweat glistening at Lupin’s temples. 

“Let’s go back to the flat and fix you up.”

“Oooh, my knight in shining armor~” Lupin said, fluttering his eyelashes.

“Nobody’s watching us anymore, you can drop the act.”

“Who said it was an act?”

“Cut it out,” Jigen let the worry surface on his face, “I’m guessing you’ve been losing blood since last night.”

Lupin’s smile sagged but he laughed, “You got me.”

He jerked a little when Jigen picked him up, bridal style. They were roughly the same height, but it always seemed like Lupin weighed nothing at all.

“Jigen,” Lupin’s voice warned.

“You’re sick,  _ honey _ , let me carry you.” Jigen said, feeling the eyes of the patio eaters on them again.

Lupin knew when to give up so he laughed airily, “Wow, who’s the most romantic guy~”

Jigen didn’t speak as he carried Lupin back to the flat--it was barely around the corner after all. He hoped Lupin wouldn’t notice how hard his heart was pounding in his chest. 

Lupin shivered and leaned his cheek against Jigen’s shoulder. Endearing to a fault as always, Jigen tried not to be too charmed by the gesture of closeness.

“You’re warm,” Lupin sighed into Jigen’s shirt.

“You know it pisses me off when you think everyone needs to be taken care of except you,” Jigen exploded back at him. “I knew you weren’t…” he trailed off, finishing with a resigned, “You could have just said something, Lupin.”

“Thanks.” Lupin said, quietly.

The landlady was still lurking outside, sweeping. Her eyebrows shot up when she saw them. “Mr. Jigen and friend! So, you  _ were  _ here to surprise him, after all!”

Lupin didn’t move his head from Jigen’s shoulder, but to Jigen’s horror, he did flash the glittering blue diamond on his finger. He could feel Lupin smile as the landlady gasped with delight.

“Surprised me quite a bit, Mrs. Persopoulos,” Lupin snickered.

Jigen’s jaw tightened. He did remember her name, after all.

“I thought he seemed a bit tense when he arrived,” the landlady said with a wry look at Jigen.

“Oh, did he?” 

Jigen swallowed, he could feel Lupin’s eyes back up on him. Jigen didn’t have to pretend to look sheepish.

“Congratulations, I’ll leave you two alone,” The landlady said with a wink, carrying on down the street.

“Over the threshold and I’m yours, Jigen-chan.”

Jigen dug in his pocket for the little brown key, “Don’t make me strangle you.”

“Strangle me? When I’m already feeling so unwell?” Lupin chuckled, but his voice was getting weaker.

Jigen shouldered the door open. He could feel Lupin’s blood beginning to seep against his silk shirt.

“Bathroom,” Lupin said, a little urgently, “Bathroom! I don’t want to drip on the rugs or the bedsheets!”

While Lupin sat dizzily at the edge of the tub, Jigen went back for the medikit he’d stashed with his things. When he got back to the bathroom, Lupin had slipped into the tub, his face looking a little grey.

“Lupin,” Jigen said, heart pulsing in his ears.

“Don’t cry for me, Jigen, dear,” He smiled, his eyes flickering open.

“I’m not,” Jigen said sharply, “Tell me what to do.” 

“Kinky~ First, help me get this shirt off.”

He leaned with a little whimper into Jigen’s shoulder as he lifted the loose shirt over Lupin’s head, unable to hold back a string of curses when the mess of bandages underneath was revealed.

Lupin had always been thin and ribby, but he was not half as unblemished as he appeared at the moment. Jigen felt for a seam in the thin prosthetic that covered Lupin’s ever growing collection of scars and pulled it gently off of him. Lupin moaned weakly as Jigen used his pocket knife to slice open one side of the sloppy bandages wrapped around his middle. 

Lupin’s skin was clammy but Jigen’s hands were steady even though his insides felt like ice. It felt like it was taking forever to unwrap the bandages, Lupin had pulled them tight to stop the bleeding, too tight. Once the bandages were off, he could see the wound was infected.

“ _ Damn it. _ Lupin, this is bad.”

“Thanks, I noticed,” Lupin said with a little half-hearted giggle, eyes squeezed shut.

The wound was definitely a bullethole. Jigen cursed again and opened the medikit. Lupin’s stitchwork was usually so precise, he must have really been out of it to do such a sloppy job.

“This is gonna hurt.” Jigen warned.

Lupin just nodded, head lolling onto Jigen’s shoulder again, “Go ahead, I was the one careless enough to let it get this bad. Just be quick.”

Jigen tried not to let Lupin’s gasps and sounds get to him as he reopened the wound to disinfect it before stitching it closed again. His hands seemed to move numbly on their own as he slathered ointment generously over the stitchings and rewrapped it in linen bandages. 

Jigen carried him back into the bedroom, setting him down gently on the bed with a cool cloth for his head. Lupin was barely with it enough to take the fever reducer Jigen found in his bag. He covered him with all the blankets he could find in the house.

After he was sure Lupin was asleep, Jigen stepped into the living room, rubbing the back of his neck until it burned with the friction. He tried not to pace--what would pacing do, he already did what he could. His eyes stung and he tried to swallow down the thick feeling in his throat.

What if he had gone to Barcelona by himself? What would have happened to Lupin, left to his own devices, with an infection like this? He squeezed his fists tight, the tiny slivers of his fingernails biting into his palms.

Finally, he sighed, letting the tension go with it. He hadn’t gone to Barcelona, so it was useless to think about it. Lupin had been in much worse scrapes, Jigen reminded himself, much, much more dire than this, and he always pulled through. 

So how come it never got easier for Jigen? Every time, that helpless bubble of panic built in his chest and made Jigen think he’d lose his mind. Lupin needed rest and food to recover, Jigen could provide both of those things. 

His shoulders jumped when he heard Lupin groan quietly in the bedroom. He glanced through the partially open door. 

Lupin had curled on his side, shivering. Jigen sighed and tucked the covers more securely around him. He laid on his side across from him, propping himself up on one arm.

Lupin nudged a little closer until his forehead was touching him. Always seeking body heat, wasn’t he? Jigen had shared a bed with him enough times to know that much. He didn’t want to hold him, though, too afraid he’d nudge or pull at the wound in his side by accident.

Jigen smiled crookedly at him, but it felt more like a grimace. He ran a hand through Lupin’s thick crop of hair with a sigh. Lupin’s eyebrows eased a little and he sighed against Jigen’s touch.

“Hang in there, Lupin.” Jigen said, softly, “Sleep it off. You’ll be fine.”


	3. It's all Greek to me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Changed the rating to M! I thought this MIGHT be the case when I started writing this fic--and here we are haha.

Lupin, not quite awake, tilted toward the warm sunlight on his bare back, the covers spilling over his hip. For a moment, he reveled in the sensation of warmness before the rest of his senses flooded forth, like water bursting from a dam. The deep, throbbing ache from his side hit him first, maybe from twisting toward the sun. He bit back a whimper of pain, but the ache subsided instead of intensifying, much to his surprise. His eyes peeled open slowly, and he blinked, his hand groping the bed in front of him for…

“Jigen?” He croaked, trying to sit up.

He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his palms, lifting one arm to inspect the wound in his side. The linen wrappings were gone, replaced by a hand-sized square of cottony adhesive gauze. He prodded it blearily with one finger and the responding stab of pain reminded him that, yes, the wound was still there--but the pain dulled quickly, ebbing away.

He remembered laying in the cold bathtub, feeling like his life was leeching out of him along with his body heat. Remembered the intense relief that Jigen was there, solid and real, taking care of him.

His mouth felt dry, sticky. There was a cup of water on the bedside table so he picked it up stiffly and gulped it down.

He rolled heavily to his feet, wobbling to the door and swinging it open.

“Jigen, I--”

But the flat was quiet, empty. Clothes had been laid out neatly on the coffee table by the couch. Jigen’s clothes, Lupin assumed, though they weren’t the usual hats and jackets he was accustomed to. The couch looked a bit more lived in than when he had first arrived; he could make out the impressions of Jigen’s heels on the arm of one side.

The kitchen was definitely looking more cluttered than before--unusual, it was always Lupin that created messes and chaos, Jigen had always been the more orderly of the two. There were spice bottles on the counter, the rinds of squeezed oranges, a cutting board covered in crumbs, and utensils scattered here and there. Dishes sat, ignored, in the sink. An enormous pot bubbled faintly on the stove.

He opened the lid. Rice porridge, loaded with shredded beef. A platter of spinach sat, washed and cut, nearby. Did Jigen make this?

His chest warmed; he was touched. But he also felt a twinge of guilt that Jigen had done all of this for him.

His legs still felt a little stiff and wobbly so he staggered to the bathroom to take a leak. Toothbrushes sat in a cup on the sink, a razor, a comb, and three bottles of Jigen’s favorite beard oils lined the little shelf over the faucet. A damp towel, tossed over the towel rack, meant Jigen had been here recently. 

He glanced wincingly at his reflection, but it wasn’t as bad as he was thinking. His skin looked much less sallow now, but he looked gaunt, shadows under his eyes. Lupin scratched at the spots of stubble that had accumulated on his jaw and chin. How long had he been out? He reached for the razor; he didn’t like looking too scruffy, that was Jigen’s thing.

He thought absently of Jigen’s beard as he shaved--how it sometimes scratched against his neck or shoulder when they were sitting close together, or sleeping. He paused at the last square of shaving cream on his chin below his lips.

“Should I grow a beard?” He asked his reflection. Swipe went the razor. Nah. Maybe another time.

He was drying his face, when he heard the doorknob jiggle and unlatch. He poked his head out of the bathroom just as Jigen squeezed into the flat, a straw hat propped jauntily over his head, gripping a lit cigarette in his teeth, arms laden with two brown paper bags. Grocery shopping?

“Lupin!” He said, almost stumbling back into the door, “What are you doing out of bed!?”

“Welcome home, honey~!”

“You must be feeling better,” Jigen set the grocery bags on the counter, eyes softening as he eased the brim of his hat up to give him a quick look up and down. 

“You know nothing keeps me down for long,” Lupin leaned against the back of the couch, ignoring the slight throb in his side, “But it looks like I’ve kept you busy.”

Jigen grinned, “Nah. You’re not that hard to look after when you’re asleep.”

“Wow, you really are romantic~”

“As if you didn’t know,” Jigen grinned. He opened the fridge and poured a glass of orange juice, handing it to him, “Bottom’s up.”

Lupin took the glass with a smirk, “Making homemade mimosas, huh? Cheers~”

“Orange juice.” Jigen amended, “I read Vitamin C is good for Iron absorption.”

“Ah.” Lupin’s shoulders dropped slightly. There was that guilty feeling again, his pulse racing in his hot ears.

“Come on,” Jigen ruffled his hair affectionately, “Don’t push it, you’ll undo all of my hard work. Sit down, at least.”

Lupin sat down on the couch and stared down at his knees for a moment before downing the orange juice. Now that he was sitting in Jigen’s spot, everywhere smelled distinctly like Jigen, the smoky bite of cigarettes accented by his beard oils and a vaguely woodsy musk, like a campfire. The pillows smelled like his shampoo. Lupin leaned back into them, setting the empty glass on the coffee table. He was starting to feel light-headed.

Pieces of his recovery were starting to come back to him, triggered by the smell and the citrusy taste on his tongue. Waking up blearily to porridge and orange juice, like the glass he’d just drunk. Leaning heavily against Jigen as he changed the dressings on his side--the smell of him nearby, laying next to him. The sound of his soft chuckle over the flip of magazine pages. His soft, grumbly snores as he slept. The rough warmth of his hand checking Lupin’s forehead, then ruffling his hair. It was a little overwhelming, Lupin’s face felt hot, his throat tightening. 

It wasn’t the first time Jigen had taken care of him through an injury--nor the last, he suspected. Yet, here, away from Fujiko and Goemon, and in no rush to recover quickly, there was a different feeling to it. Jigen could have been out enjoying himself instead of cooking porridge and waiting on him.

He forced his voice to be light, “So what have you been up to, besides nursing your beloved fiance back to health?”

Jigen chuckled, and Lupin smiled to himself at the sound of it. “Oh, you know. Working on my tan,” he replied, his voice good-humored, “Are you hungry?” 

“Starving.” Lupin chewed on his lip, “...How long have I been out?”

“Hm, maybe a week?” Jigen said, over the sound of the sink turning on.

Lupin’s shoulders stiffened but he whistled, “That long, huh?”

“Everyone needs rest,” Jigen said easily. He walked over with a bowl of the porridge from the stovetop. “Isn’t that what vacations are for? And it looks like you needed one more than you thought.” He winked, a haze of cigarette smoke drifting out of his mouth. 

Lupin gazed up at him, chest hitching. He pushed himself back up with a little difficulty, reaching for the bowl of porridge. He dragged his spoon through it soberly, “Jigen,” he started, “Really, I--”

“Spare me the speech,” Jigen said softly, smiling as he tapped his cigarette in the ashtray on the coffee table, “You’d do the same for me.”

“Yeah.” Lupin’s chest expanded and he nodded, voice slightly thick, “Thanks.”

“Eat your porridge,” Jigen said, sidling next to him on the couch, “It’s Goemon’s mother’s ancient recipe, I went through hell trying to get it.”

“Wha--really?”

Jigen laughed heartily, “No!” He laughed again, tossing his head back and slapping his knee, looking back at him with bright eyes, “Did you really think I was serious?”

Lupin joined in with Jigen’s laughter easily. The tension that had been building since he woke up was finally beginning to ease, his head tingled with relief. 

He glanced back at Jigen, eyes drooping cheekily, “So, what are the odds that you’ll feed this to me?”

“Not good.”

“Aw, come on, Jigen-chan.”

“Don’t push your luck.”

“Ha! Shall I feed you, then? Where’s your bowl of porridge?”

“None of that baby food for me,” Jigen said. He’d been holding a bag, dotted with grease and flipped it open. “I got a gyro for myself while I was out. It’s been hard showing my face solo around town, you know. Everyone probably thinks I went too hard on our post-engagement celebration and now you can’t even walk.”

Lupin laughed hard at that, “Who knew you were such a passionate lover.”

“I don’t know if it’s  _ that  _ much of a surprise,” Jigen grouched, but he was grinning as he bit into the gyro.

“That smells good,” Lupin said, shoulder brushing Jigen’s as he slurped down porridge.

“It tastes good.” Jigen agreed. He fished a remote from between the cushion and the arm of the couch and flipped on the TV. “I’ve been following what’s going on in LA.”

“Oh?” Lupin said, pulling one knee up. 

“I haven’t heard much, though. I guess the family’s keeping things under wraps for the time being.” 

Lupin had the strange hope that the heat wouldn’t die down, he didn’t really feel like leaving anytime soon, not before he’d gotten to enjoy things a bit. Jigen flipped through news channels, football, a spaghetti western, with the carelessness of someone that wasn’t really watching TV at all.

“Hmph, typical,” Jigen said, taking another bite of his gyro.

“What?”

“It’s all Greek to me.”

Lupin chuckled, “We’re in Greece, Jigen.”

Jigen winked.

They both laughed again. Jigen settled on an international news channel. The reports droned on in Greek, and Lupin finally set down his empty bowl in his lap, his belly full, his eyelids starting to get heavier. He wriggled against the couch to get more comfortable, leaning on Jigen’s shoulder, experimentally.

Jigen wasn’t phased but after a few minutes he glanced down at Lupin and said, “If you’re sleepy, you should go to bed. Sleeping on the couch isn’t going to do you any favors.”

“What about you? You’ve obviously been sleeping here.”

Jigen opened his mouth and shut it again and then leaned forward, butting his cigarette out in the ashtray. “Suit yourself. But give me your bowl, I’m gonna clean up.”

“Huh? Why?”

He flopped over as Jigen got up, nabbing the bowl from Lupin’s lap, “Because it’s a mess in here.”

Lupin grabbed his arm before he could take it away, “Shouldn’t I be the one cleaning up? This is supposed to be a vacation, you know.” 

“It’s alright,” Jigen said, waving him away, “I’ll relax after I wash the dishes.”

“At least let me help,” Lupin whined, pushing himself up onto one arm.

“Hmm,” Jigen glanced back over his shoulder at him, “Fine, you can dry after I wash.”

Lupin peered over the couch, only to be knocked back down by the dishtowel Jigen lobbed at him. He followed Jigen to the kitchen and sat down on one of the stools by the breakfast bar, picking up a discarded garlic peel from the counter in front of him. 

Jigen was tying an apron around his narrow waist and Lupin felt the peel drop from his hand, eyes drawn to the movement of Jigen’s fingers. He was wearing a dark plum colored button-up shirt, more casual than his usual fare. His shoulder blades arched up as he reached around to tie the apron string behind him. His shirt, caught by the string, inched up, leaving a slivered window of tan skin right at his lower back, tan enough that a thin white scar was just visible. 

“Nice apron,” Lupin said cheekily.

“I don’t want to get this shirt wet,” Jigen said without turning around, “It was expensive.”

“Oh?”

“I got cagey one day and grabbed us some vacation clothes,” Jigen said, carefully rolling up the sleeves. Lupin’s eyes followed the line of them into the sink as Jigen turned on the faucet, hand gauging the temperature. His eyes continued a lazy ascent to Jigen’s shoulders and then another peek of skin at the nape of his neck where he’d pulled his dark hair into a ponytail. He was suddenly aware Jigen was watching him from his peripheral. Lupin started hastily gathering up orange rinds. There were a lot of them. How many had he juiced just for Lupin’s--what was it again? Iron absorption?

“You know, usually I’m the one that cooks and wears the apron.” Lupin said, getting up.

“If this is a euphemism for something, I don’t get it and I’m not sure I want to,” Jigen said wryly.

“It’s not,” Lupin pouted. He stepped behind Jigen and put his head on Jigen’s shoulder. Jigen’s muscles tensed under him for a moment, like always. He didn’t have to be so careful, it wasn’t like Lupin was going to break that easily. 

He stared glumly down at Jigen’s soapy arms, scrubbing away at the pile of bowls and glasses, mesmerized by the movement of his wrists and knuckles. 

“I just feel left out.” He said, finally.

He could feel Jigen swallow. “Well. Don’t.” He nudged him away, “I can’t wash these when you’re hovering like that.”

“Don’t wash them, then,” Lupin said, feeling a little giddy as he said it.

Jigen tossed him a perplexed look, “What’s gotten into you, anyway?”

“I’ve been lying around for a whole week, recovering, I want to know everything I missed,” Lupin said, wrapping his arms teasingly around Jigen’s middle, “What kind of clothes did you get me? Did you really get any tan lines yet? Can I see?”

“Lupin!” Jigen said, half laughing, half pleading.

Lupin thought he could hear Jigen’s heart pounding through his back, but he wasn’t sure if it was just the rush of his own blood in his ears. Jigen reached down to wrench Lupin’s arms off of him and Lupin laughed, turning them around so Jigen was facing the counter instead. Jigen finally got a firm enough grip on Lupin’s wrists to pull him off. He paused, his grip slacking.

“I don’t want to hurt you, you idiot,” Jigen said tensely.

“You won’t.” Lupin said, but he let go, tugging the apron strings loose playfully as he stepped back. Jigen turned towards him, the apron pooled at his feet. Below the rim of his hat, his face had gone red--he always got cranky like this when Lupin overstepped his bounds. 

Lupin inched back toward the sink, smiling as charmingly as he could.

“What the hell are you doing?” Jigen said, but there was no bite to his voice. He almost sounded desperate. 

Lupin looked back up at him and Jigen straightened, embarrassed. 

The tension of the moment had devolved suddenly from playful to something else. Something Lupin wasn’t sure how to define. Without thinking, he reached behind him for the removable mouth of the faucet and wrenched it toward Jigen.

He’d only meant to spritz him a little, just so Jigen would roll his eyes and laugh, but, as Jigen exclaimed and grabbed his hat, Lupin’s eyes darted from his startled mouth, to his neck and the open part of his shirt. Jigen’s neck was even more flushed than his face. He froze, the spray of the water followed his eyes, plunging over Jigen’s chest and over the floor in a deluge of water. 

The shirt immediately melted into Jigen’s skin and Lupin was suddenly aware of the whole outline of Jigen’s torso, from the strong lines of his collarbone and the defined shape of his pecs, to the ridged indentations of his ribcage and down the flat plane of his stomach, the dent of his navel.

Lupin’s body was prickling with heat. He rammed the faucet nozzle back into the sink, plates clattering. There was an awkward silence, Lupin opened his mouth, mind scrabbling for what exactly he should say. But Jigen suddenly started to chuckle, leaning back against the counter behind him, his sides shaking as he laughed harder.

Lupin’s shoulders slumped, he could breathe again. “What’s so funny?” He said, even though he was laughing stupidly along with him.

“Your face,” Jigen said, out of breath, “I’ve never seen you look so flustered.” He broke into another wheezing fit of laughter and Lupin grinned back at him.

While Jigen sighed, still chuckling, Lupin turned towards the sink, his foot catching on a slippery tile. He tried to right himself with a little yelp, but the whole ground around him was also slick with water and his fingers glided right off the marble edge of the counter next to him. 

It happened so fast, Jigen’s cry of alarm, his arm wrapping around Lupin before they both went down, feet squeaking and sliding for purchase. 

When Lupin’s eyes fluttered open, he was shocked to find Jigen sprawled over him, his free arm bracing against the ground. The way Jigen was holding him, pressed flush against him, Lupin’s face felt like it was on fire. 

“Are you okay?” Jigen asked, voice strained.

Lupin’s hands were tangled in Jigen’s damp shirt, “Yeah, fine...”

Jigen lowered Lupin the few remaining inches to the ground below them. He tried to get up but his knee slipped, and with half a chuckle, he grimaced and braced himself over Lupin again.

Lupin could see every muscle in Jigen’s neck standing taut, his arms still on either side of him, his hat now gone. And Lupin barely moved, blinking helplessly up at him, his mind blank. 

“You sure you’re okay?” 

“Just peachy,” Lupin said, realizing himself. He tried to prop himself up, but the water was everywhere and his elbows slid. He gripped Jigen’s shirt for balance and Jigen grunted, trying to keep himself from falling completely on top of him.

“You’re as slippery as a fish,” Jigen said, smirking a little, but his eyes were still concerned, “How’s your side feeling?”

“Uh…” He was transfixed by Jigen’s unexpectedly plush lips, “F-Fine?” 

He could see the stubble peeking out from his upper lip, the patch where his beard got thicker at his chin, the sharp curve of his cheekbones.

“Lupin…” Jigen said, his voice had gone husky.

Lupin’s hand slid up Jigen’s wet chest, his fingers curling around his neck. He’d never wanted to kiss someone so badly in his life. He could almost feel it, Jigen’s beard scratching his chin, those lips pressed hard against his, the warmth of his face burning against him. Lupin bit back the little sigh blooming in his throat, finally meeting Jigen’s gaze.

Jigen’s eyes were a bit wider than usual, he looked startled, almost panicked.

Lupin’s chest ached with the realization that he wasn’t going to kiss Jigen. Instead, he flicked Jigen’s nose and smiled slyly, “I think you’re gonna have to make the first move to get vertical, unless you want to have me pinned all night~”

“Huh...OH!” Jigen said sheepishly, offering a weak laugh. 

Lupin’s eyebrows rose. Was that...disappointment in his expression? 

“I mean, I’m not complaining.” He added.

“No, you’re right, let me just--” Jigen laughed as his knee slid again, but his eyes were still unreadable. “Hold on a second,” he grabbed the hat which was sitting damply by Lupin’s shoulder and tugged it over his head.

Lupin chewed the inside of his cheek, assessing the strange physical pang in his chest that began when Jigen clambored away from him.

Awkwardly slither shifting to his feet, Jigen groaned and grabbed the edge of the island counter to heave himself all the way up.

“I wasn’t the one who sprayed water everywhere, you know.” he quipped back at Lupin.

“Sorry~ I’ll be more careful next time.”

Jigen gave a little laugh at that, but it sounded bitter, “I’m sure.”

They washed and dried the rest of the dishes without further mishaps, chatting pleasantly, but the mood had shifted. And Lupin still couldn’t be sure what to make of that shift. 

He grinned cheekily and joked with Jigen as he mopped the floor, but his mind whirred. He felt a new jolting awareness of Jigen’s presence, now somehow electrifying as well as comforting. When Jigen finally convinced him to go to bed, Lupin had worked himself into a daze.

What if he had kissed Jigen? He let himself imagine it--pulling Jigen with him back to the bedroom and kissing him thoroughly, peeling off his damp shirt and tangling under the covers with him.

He wondered how Jigen’s body would feel, bare, against his. What sounds Lupin could arouse out of him, how he’d be as a lover--what’d he’d like, what’d he’d take, what he’d give. What it’d feel like waking up wrapped in Jigen’s arms, with his lips against his neck. What new, warm affections Jigen might whisper in his ear.

Pressing his hot face into the cool of his pillow, Lupin was not surprised at all to find he was hard. Only when he heard the shower turn on across the hallway did he dare to let one hand ghost over his tented boxers. He sucked a breath through his teeth when his fingers finally made contact. It didn’t take long at all before his hips were shuddering out a final shallow thrust into his hand and his body was tingling all over. 

His ears ringing, He fumbled around in the dark for something to wipe himself off with, feeling vaguely pathetic, like a horny teenager. 

Finally, he turned over onto his back with a sigh, the fluttering in his stomach turning into a deep, sad emptiness. He willed his breath to calm. He wasn’t proud of himself. But somehow, he thought, as he succumbed to sleep, he didn’t think it was the first time Jigen popped into his head before he came.


	4. Possibilities

“ _ Shit _ ,” Jigen hissed through his teeth. The shower was hot on his back, and he felt his lower stomach tense as he came, hard, into the sudsy bathwater at his feet. He blinked, watching it spill down the drain, a sad chuckle bubbling in his throat.

It wasn’t the first time Lupin had done something to get him hot under the collar, but he’d never seen the dark flicker of desire in his eyes reflected back at him before. 

When you wanted something so bad, it was only natural to trick yourself into seeing it from time to time. But it’d never seemed so convincing before. That was what was making his heart pound, even now.

He’d had his moment, he refused to think about it anymore. He took out his flagging frustration on his hair, working the shampoo into a fierce lather and then letting it drip down his neck. He reached a shaky hand out to the sink for a cigarette, not caring if it got soggy. Leaning back against the cold tiled wall, he shuddered and took a deep drag, letting the sound of the running water fill his ears. 

The two of them had huddled in long stakeouts like this countless times. Laying low while the heat died down was just as common, really. Usually in those scenarios, however, Fujiko wasn’t far away, and when Lupin slipped out of the apartment with a wink and a shrug, it reminded Jigen of his place. 

But something was different this time. 

Thoughts swirled like ice in a glass of bourbon, as much as he tried to resist them, back to Lupin in the kitchen, sprawled under him. Jigen was unsure if he could ever really forget those dark eyes, looking up at him, a mixture of surprise and softness. Or the feeling of Lupin’s fingers running up his chest and clinging to his neck. 

Lupin had touched him the same way loads of times, but not with an expression like that. Not when their faces were mere inches apart. 

Jigen found himself touching his own lips before scowling and rinsing off, stepping back out of the tub. He stretched out on the couch, turning the TV on, just so the flat didn’t seem so quiet and empty. Just so he didn’t have to think about Lupin lying in the other room.

Sleep was elusive, as it had often been for the past week. The first few days upon arrival, Jigen had barely been able to drag himself from Lupin’s side, carefully monitoring his condition and wondering if he should call it and take him to a hospital when the infection had flared and gotten worse--but then it had eased again. 

He hadn’t really been able to relax until earlier that night when he’d come home to see Lupin up on his feet, looking a little worse for wear, but more like the Lupin he was used to.

Now, he joylessly smoked an entire pack of cigarettes (when Lupin’s fever had spiked, he vaguely remembered swearing he’d give up the habit if it meant Lupin’s condition would stabilize, so much for that). After he ran out of cigarettes, something resembling sleep played across his eyelids. It was a grey, not quite conscious feeling, pleasantly empty, but not restful. He could still hear the TV going, turning to static when the broadcast was out of things to show. 

Before dawn, he finally gave up, stretching and pouring himself a small glass of whisky. He downed it in one gulp, to ease his nerves. The burn in his throat focused him. 

He flipped off the TV and stepped onto the patio out back, sitting on the stiff chaise lounge. He lit the last half-there cigarette he’d dug out of the ashtray, waiting for the sun to rise.

He wasn’t expecting the sudden touch of a hand on his shoulder. Lupin had shuffled out, still in just his boxers, but dragging one of the comforters around his shoulders, wrapped around his shivering frame.

“Lup--”

“Shh,” Lupin mumbled sleepily, mashing his finger against Jigen’s lips, “Scooch over this way.”

Jigen, stunned into silence, did exactly that, pushing himself back with an arm. Lupin and the blanket sank into the chaise lounge next to him. They were packed together tightly because of the bulk of the comforter. He could feel Lupin breathing through the blanket, feel his body heat as he settled against Jigen. Jigen’s shoulders tightened as he shifted his hips back, pinned by the arm of the chaise lounge. He cleared his throat, his face prickling with heat. Packed close like this, images of the night before flashed dangerously in his mind--along with that old, cracked desire he’d been trying to shove away. The desire to be wanted by Lupin. 

He pulled his arm out from between them and awkwardly draped it around what might have been Lupin’s middle.

For a moment they both reclined there, Jigen felt like he was holding his breath. He wondered if Lupin had fallen asleep, but then his voice broke the silence.

“I always like it when I wake up before the sun rises,” Lupin’s voice was still rough with drowsiness, “When everything is just sort of grey like this.”

At the sound of his voice, Jigen felt the tautness in his muscles ease. He rolled the cigarette to the other side of his mouth, “Hm?”

“The new day hasn’t started yet, so everything is just possibilities and nothing more.” He yawned and leaned back against Jigen’s chest.

Jigen felt very warm, “And what about after the sun rises?”

“Then it’s already started. Everything after that is split between the things that happen and the things that don’t.”

“Can’t say I’ve ever thought of it like that.” Jigen said, thoughtfully.

“You take things as they are,” Lupin said, Jigen could hear the smile in his voice. “I admire that about you. But someone like me likes to dream about the possibilities.”

Jigen stared out across the red tiled rooftops and over the haze of cliffs, the sky was a sort of blue grey, and the sea beyond echoed it, blurring into the horizon. The lack of sound was almost heavy, like someone was covering his ears. He could only hear Lupin, his steady breathing mirroring his own.

“Possibilities, huh?” Jigen said. 

Lupin sat up and plucked the cigarette out of Jigen’s mouth, taking a drag on it himself. 

Jigen tried not to stare at him too openly; Lupin’s face was turned away from him, so he could only see the curve of his cheek, the outline of his ear, the nape of his neck fading into his thick scruffy hair, the barest hint of his eyelashes.

Jigen’s heart ached, the hazy image of Lupin looking at him the night before resurfacing again. How Lupin had been flushed all the way to his bare chest, his mouth parted in surprise instead of his typical smugness, dark eyes taking Jigen in like he’d never seen another man with a damp shirt before. He wanted Lupin to look at him like that again, like they were the only two left on the planet, like Lupin was just as consumed with him as he was with Lupin. He shook his head, as if he could disperse the building tension away that easily.

The sun glared forth, suddenly, spilling out from the horizon and breaking through the haze. The sky transformed from grey to blue, the smattering of clouds blushing pink and lavender.

“I haven’t actually watched the sun rise in a long time.” Jigen said quietly.

Smoke blossomed from Lupin’s lips as he chuckled, looking back at him, “Me neither.”

Lupin’s hand dropped onto Jigen’s knee as he looked back out at the sky, the sun coloring his ears pink.

“I guess the day has officially started, then,” Jigen mused, crossing his arms behind his head, arching his back into a satisfying stretch. 

Lupin butted the cigarette out and wriggled back between him and the chair with a sound of agreement. 

Jigen tilted his hat over his eyes, lips curved into a smile.

He must have fallen asleep like that because when he groggily opened his eyes again, the sun was much higher in the sky. His hand flexed over the empty spot beside him. His skin was warm all over but his back was stiff and his mouth was dry. He sat up, spine popping, reaching in his pocket for a pack of cigarettes. With a snort he remembered he’d run out during the night.

“Jigen? You awake yet?” Lupin’s voice called out from the living room behind him.

“Yeah, I…” He stopped, turning to see him.

Lupin was standing in the doorway, he was still just in his boxers, except now he’d added the apron from last night.

“When are you gonna put some friggin clothes on?” Jigen pulled down the brim of the straw hat but the straw weaving left enough gaps for him to see all the same. 

“Wow, and here I thought you’d like my sexy outfit,” Lupin said, turning to model the look, and shaking his bum for good measure.

“Yeah, yeah, I get the picture.”

“I made breakfast! Although it’s really more of a brunch by now,” Lupin mused, shading his eyes from the bright sunlight.

Jigen rolled his shoulders, moving to get up.

“No, stay there,” Lupin said quickly, “I’ll bring it to you.”

“Are you serious?” He slouched, rubbing his neck.

“Yeah! It’s nice outside, why not! Breakfast in bed--in chaise lounge, I mean--and all that! I owe you that much, at least.”

“You don’t owe me anything--” Jigen started but Lupin had already disappeared back into the flat.

Jigen blinked wearily in the sunshine, the rush of the AC bristling against his side through the open door. His hands were jittery for something to do so he tapped his fingers against his knees and hummed flatly.

He’d almost drifted off again when he heard Lupin rustling back out, plate and cup rattling against a tea tray.

“What time is it, anyway?”

“A little after 2.”

“What? Why’d you let me sleep that long?” Jigen’s shoulders sputtered in surprise but Lupin set the tray in his lap before he could launch himself to his feet. Lupin sat, at the other end of the chaise lounge, legs dangling over Jigen’s, grinning like a cat. 

“You seemed worn out, so I thought I’d let you sleep.”

Jigen stared down at the tray. Thick, fluffy slices of bread, fried in egg and butter, dominated one side of the plate, smeared generously with jam. An orange yolky egg and lamb sausages had been artfully placed over fresh cucumber, tomato, and spinach. A glass of french pressed coffee, dark as Lupin’s eyes, clinked on the other end of the tray.

“Not quite a French breakfast, but I made do,” Lupin said.

“I guess you already ate?” Jigen said, cutting into the french toast.

“Yep~ It was lonely without you but what can I say, I’m an understanding guy.” He popped a dented cigarette from the ashtray into his mouth but didn’t light it.

“It’s good to see you with a bit more energy,” Jigen said, honestly. 

“I had a good nurse,” Lupin laughed, chewing the edge of the cigarette, but he wasn’t looking at Jigen.

“You don’t have to feel bad about it.”

He gave Jigen a sidelong glance, eyebrows tilted slightly up. There was something a little soft about the look but Jigen figured he was imagining things again. 

“Well, don’t leave me in suspense,” Lupin said, and just like that, the look was gone, replaced by his usual cheer, “What do you think?”

Jigen popped the bite of toast in his mouth. The jam on top was sweet and the buttery bread seemed to melt on his tongue. Lupin was watching him, out of the corner of his eye.

“It’s delicious,” Jigen said, digging in a little more enthusiastically. 

Lupin rubbed his nose and looked away, but he was smiling, “I noticed we were out of cigarettes, I’ll go out and grab some.”

“In that outfit?”

Lupin laughed, “Sure, why not. Maybe I’ll get them for free if I use my sensual body.”

“Don’t,” Jigen said, but he smiled, charmed. “Actually, if you’re feeling up to it, what do you think about going out and exploring a bit?”

Lupin looked back at him, obviously excited, “Really?”

The spark in Lupin’s eyes was enough to make Jigen chuckle, another wave of affection washing over him. He cleared his throat, “Last time we were here, we didn’t exactly have the time to see the sights. I couldn’t help casing the place a bit, though.”

Lupin laughed, “That’s my Jigen-chan! What’d you have in mind?”

They settled on going to the beach. Jigen’s skin was still buzzing with heat from his outdoor nap, it was a pleasant sort of feeling after being indoors for so long. 

Of course, he thought, as he brushed his teeth in the bathroom, there would also be hoards of women in bikinis--or less perhaps--tanning and laughing together, prepared to be ogled at. And Lupin would always be more than happy to oblige. 

He scratched his fingers down his neck and frowned at his reflection. His swimming trunks were short enough to show an inch-wide band of slightly less tan skin. He shrugged on a loose button up, but, after a moment’s hesitation, left it unbuttoned. If he was honestly going to get some sun, why not. 

The lack of cigarettes was making his head ache, so he stuck a toothpick from the counter between his teeth. It wasn’t the same but it was better than nothing.

Lupin had gone with pink board shorts and another embarrassingly low cut tank. He dropped the bottle of sunscreen he was lathering himself with when Jigen popped back out of the bathroom. 

He was still staring, too, eyes travelling from Jigen’s face to perhaps the tanlines on his legs, but when he dragged his eyes back up to meet Jigen’s puzzled gaze, he glanced back at the mess of sunscreen in his hands. 

Jigen’s heart gave an unexpected lurch. Honestly, what kind of look was that? He cleared his throat, “What?” He looked down at his outfit.

“Nothing! Vacationing looks good on ya, that’s all,” Lupin laughed, flicking a pair of sunglasses open and propping them on his nose.

Jigen set the straw hat over his head with a smirk.

Lupin slid his arm through Jigen’s, “Just don’t forget who you came with.” 

They walked down the white cobblestone path, Lupin’s sandals thwacking against his heels. People milled about in pairs and trios, but nobody seemed to notice them. Nobody was looking for them here. 

The patio of the gyro stand was as full as ever, and many other small restaurants were flocked with people as well, laughing over wine and fried lokma. The smell of souvlaki and falafel lingered pleasantly in the air. Lupin’s grip tightened around Jigen’s arm, making a face, as they passed a stand for fried octopus. 

They wandered through a small, crowded street market and came out of it with a pack of cigarettes, a pair of pink plastic-rimmed sunglasses for Jigen, and a shell anklet that Lupin proudly sported around his leg.

“I can’t believe you’re buying souvenirs.” Jigen rolled his eyes.

“We’re on vacation, Jigen dear,” Lupin said primly, stopping to set the sunglasses on Jigen’s face, “Now you can think of me whenever you wear these.”

“When will I ever wear these again?” Jigen muttered.

“When you want to think of me.”

He pulled his hat brim down, “Hmph.”

“Do you like the jewelry you bought me?” Lupin asked, tugging on the string of cowrie shells around his ankle.

“I didn’t buy you anything.”

Lupin chuckled, waving Jigen’s wallet, “C’mon, I couldn’t resist a little casual thievery.”

“Gimme that!” Jigen said, snatching his wallet back.

“Tsk, tsk, you’re losing your edge, Jigen. I thought you were just humoring me.”

“As if I’d buy something like  _ that  _ for you,” Jigen said, raising a brow.

“Oh? So what  _ would  _ you get me?”

Jigen glanced at the stalls around them, at the bright colored scarfs, airy cotton shifts, the cheap jewelry, watches, sunglasses, magnets, tiles, and small statuettes. There was even a shelf of clay dicks on display. Lupin picked one up, giggling to himself.

Something on a far counter glittered, catching Jigen’s eye. Dozens of leather cords lay across the counter, all decorated with pendants, bits of metal, and pieces of ceramic. One of them, toward the end, was fitted with a single glass bead, the same size and shape, roughly, of the Aphrodite’s Tear. Jigen felt his ears go hot, remembering the ring (now skillfully hidden back at their flat) that had been used for his fake engagement to Lupin a week ago. He picked up the necklace, the glass bead was heavy and cool in his hand. The lady behind the counter was watching him, gesturing to the other necklaces, fancier ones. He shrugged and pointed to the one he was holding, dropping a 2 Euro coin on the counter for it.

He found Lupin pawing at a row of shot glasses.

“Here,” he said.

“What’s this?”

Jigen rolled his eyes, “This is what I’m getting you.” 

“Help me put it on!” Lupin lowered his head so Jigen sighed and slipped it over his ears. The leather cord was long enough that the bead rested right under his collarbone.

Lupin laughed, “Wow, this looks kind of familiar.”

Jigen frowned, “You can tuck it into your shirt--a real shirt, not the one you have on now. If you wanted to wear it after the heat goes down, I mean.”

Lupin’s smile softened a little. “If I wanted to think about you?” 

Jigen snorted and shrugged.

Lupin looked down at the little blue bead, finger running along the edge, “Huh!”

“You don’t have to keep it,” Jigen felt his face getting hot, “Whatever, it doesn’t matter.”

“Hey, wait up!”

They continued down to the beach, their hands brushing from walking too close together. It was crowded, so Jigen didn’t say anything, but every time Lupin’s knuckles skimmed his, he had to fight the impulse to grab his hand.

With the sunglasses on, it wasn’t easy to read Lupin’s expression, but he decided gratefully that it would be the same for him. As the markets cleared and the beach swung into view, Lupin grabbed his wrist and started running.

“The beach! The beach! The beach!”

Jigen had to hold down his hat so it wouldn’t fly off. 

“Lupin! Slow down! Think about your side--AH!”

They were still going downhill, so their legs pumped helplessly down the incline, gathering speed. Lupin’s chanting, growing louder as they went, was enough to break the crowd around them, and Jigen could just feel the stares.

But there was a weird exhilaration that came of being around Lupin when he was really excited about something. It was easy to get caught up in that feeling, too. He launched off the concrete siding and into the white sand, yanking Jigen along with him. They both stumbled, running awkwardly through the sand dunes, hot pebbles and grains of sand chafing their feet.

He pulled Lupin to a stop, “Come on, Lupin,” he said, but he was out of breath, barely able to keep himself from grinning.

The beach was not quite as choked with people as Jigen had anticipated, maybe because it was lunchtime. The water was perfectly clear and turquoise blue, and the beach was hedged in by enormous white cliffs. They easily found a spot under a huge beach umbrella not too far from the water. Jigen began unfurling his towel but Lupin yanked off his shirt and kicked off his sandals, getting sand everywhere.

“Lupin…!” He chided.

“Let’s swim, Jigen! The water’s beautiful!”

“I don’t swim.”

Lupin paused, dropping his towel, “You don’t know how or…”

“I friggin know how, idiot, you’ve seen me swim. I’ve had to swim with you more than a few times,” Jigen said, “I mean, I don’t swim voluntarily.”

Lupin squinted at him, “Sounds like you’re scared.”

“Wow, now I have to go.” Jigen said sarcastically, shaking sand off his towel, “This is a vacation, so I’m going to lounge here.”

“And work on your tan.”

Jigen smiled, sitting down and tapping a cigarette out of the new pack, “Yep.”

Lupin hunkered down, digging a silver lighter out of the towel bag and lighting it with the roll of his thumb. He tipped it toward him, his lips pursed. Jigen raised his eyebrows but leaned forward, puffing.

God, the nicotine felt good. He sighed, smoke drifting out of his nostrils, and stripped off his shirt. Lupin just stood there, eyes shaded by his sunglasses but presumably watching him.

“Well, go play in the water,” Jigen said, ears going hot as he folded his shirt, “I’m sure you can find a beach babe or two to keep you company.”

“I’m looking at one right now,” Lupin said and Jigen could hear the wink in his voice, “Suit yourself.”

He raced toward the water, girls shrieking as he bounded right between them, crowing with laughter, and leaping into the sea. Jigen rolled his eyes but allowed himself to chuckle anyway. Lupin was already splashing a group of ladies floating on a blowup raft when Jigen started patting the sand down flat around him. He leaned back with a sigh, feeling the hot sun beating down on him.

It was always easy for Lupin, nobody was quite immune to his charms. He was quick to pull anyone into his antics with a smile and a laugh, and before you knew it, you were smiling and laughing right back. 

Hadn’t it always been that way, even for Jigen, from the start? Even more electrifying were those moments where Lupin focused his full attention on him--it was just like laying out in the sun, almost too much to be comfortable but he couldn’t help but bask in it. He wondered if he’d ever see that look in Lupin’s eyes again, a look of longing.

He started to doze off again, skin feeling toasty, even though his insides felt strangely cold. He snorted and startled awake when someone ran past, pelting his shins with sand. He looked around blearily at the water but Lupin was nowhere to be seen.

For a moment his chest went tight with concern and then he grimaced. So he’d found a beach babe to keep him company, after all. Not surprising, but it stung somehow. He crossed his arms behind his head and grimly watched the screeching gulls dive overhead, scrounging for whatever they could get.

That’s when a spindly shadow blotted out the sun. Lupin?

Jigen lowered his sunglasses, propping himself up on his elbows, “What gives?”

Lupin grinned broadly, holding up a takeout bag with a little shake, “Hope you’re hungry!”

“I thought you were swimming.”

“I got bored without you,” Lupin dropped dramatically on the towel, “Are you seriously just gonna lay here like that in the sun the whole day?”

“No.” 

Lupin leaned forward, smiling expectantly.

“Eventually I’ll turn over and get my back too.” Jigen grinned.

“You’re no fun,” Lupin said, sticking out his tongue, and digging through the bag. He handed Jigen a meaty gyro wrapped in wax paper, dripping with tzatziki sauce. He draped his legs over Jigen’s stomach but Jigen grunted and sat up, pushing them off.

“What’s with the gyros?” He asked.

“Just in the mood for them.” 

“Yeah?”

Lupin shrugged, “We did come all the way to Greece to eat them, didn’t we?”

They ate in silence, Lupin’s legs crossed in front of him, his shirt sticking to wet patches on his chest. A stripe of sand lined the back of one of his arms and his toes were all coated, wiggling in his sandals. His hair tufted up in the back, sticking up and out.

Lupin took off his sunglasses and sighed, “I’m not used to this, just sitting tight without anything to think about.”

“Huh,” Jigen said, “Sounds rough.” 

“I’m trying to be thoughtful here, you asshole,” Lupin threw a sandal playfully at him and Jigen jerked his gyro away from the flinging arc of sand with a glare. 

Lupin snickered, legs tangling with his and Jigen felt the corners of his mouth turning upward even though he was trying hard to be annoyed.

“Do you remember the last time we were here?” Lupin asked.

The question caught him off guard, but it didn't break his facade, “So you  _ did  _ find something to think about.”

Lupin shrugged, crunching on a coin-sized cucumber, waiting for his response. 

“It was the Venus de Milo study heist.” Jigen replied, casually picking at the leftover pieces that had fallen out of his gyro, “But it didn’t go so well.”

Lupin looked surprised, “Didn’t it?”

“The thing was a fake, remember?”

“Oh,” Lupin smiled a little lopsidedly, “That’s right...”

“Not that it stopped Fujiko from swooping in afterward,” Jigen grumbled.

“Fujiko?” Lupin chewed his lip thoughtfully, “I just remember it being the two of us.”

Jigen glanced at him warily, but Lupin appeared to be watching the seagulls this time. He absently reached up to touch the glass bead around his neck.

“It was just us on the heist,” Jigen agreed, finally.

“I remember setting off the alarm,” Lupin actually laughed, “I didn’t expect such a small collection to have a pressure sensor.”

Jigen remembered it had all felt easy up until the alarm. They’d scaled the side of the archives at midnight, prying open the skylight. He’d lowered Lupin down and was lying on his stomach, waiting for him from the roof. Lupin had given him a cheesy thumbs up. The weight of the magnum in Jigen’s hand felt comforting as the thumbs up had, he’d waited, slowly loading the cylinder to keep himself busy--and then the blaring alarm sounded over the clatter of Lupin’s feet.

He remembered looking down as Lupin grabbed the rope before hauling him back up, the look of sheer excitement made his face look flush, the implicit trust between them shone in his gaze. He trusted Jigen to pull him up, even before Zenigata bolted in after him with a small crew of local security guards.

“Wasn’t that the time Pops tried to arrest us in a Hawaiian shirt?” Jigen said with a chuckle.

“You’re right! And little sky blue shorts,” Lupin laughed heartily, kicking his feet and pounding the sand, “He was trying to have a vacation, I think!”

“Poor bastard,” Jigen said. 

“He loved it--gave us a good chase, too! I thought my lungs would burst when we were running…” He paused, shading his eyes, “Was it up that hill over there?”

Jigen flicked his hat up so he could follow Lupin’s gaze, “Could be!”

Before working with Lupin, Jigen would have never thought he’d be pulling heists. He’d always preferred his jobs to be more straightforward, not exactly predictable but back then he thought there was nothing left to surprise him. Lupin was a new creature entirely, crashing into his life suddenly and demanding his attention ever since. With Lupin, they could have robbed an ice-cream stand and it would have felt worthwhile. 

There was something in the moment, when things were going according to plan, that felt more satisfying than just hitting targets or simply protecting a charge. When the two of them were working together, there were moments when they seemed to blur, like extensions of each other, almost like he could read Lupin’s mind, muscles trained on the smallest nod, or twitch of Lupin’s finger hinting towards what to do next. Side by side, adrenaline pounding in their ears, his stomach quivering with the thrill of it all, delight rolling off of Lupin in waves.

“It wouldn’t be fun without you.” Lupin said.

Jigen’s ears burned and for a moment he stared at Lupin in disbelief. Lupin was grinning back at him, but his eyes were soft.

“Fun,” Jigen scoffed, but there was no bite to it because he was smiling back just as fondly. 

“You liked it so much last time, you even snatched yourself a souvenir,” Lupin said, his finger tapped a tiny sliver of white on Jigen’s arm, “One of the security officer’s grazed your shoulder when we were sneaking back to the hideout.” 

“Huh,” Jigen said. He probed the scar himself, slightly raised from the rest of his skin. “I do remember sanitizing it with cheap booze.”

“It wasn’t just the cut we sanitized,” Lupin winked.

“I can’t remember the last time I was that hung over,” Jigen laughed.

Lupin smiled lazily, pulling his knees up to his chest, “Now that you’re tanning, your scars are showing up a bit more. I don’t know if I recognize them all.”

Jigen felt flush again, “Since when are you cataloguing them?”

Lupin shrugged, “I like to know where I’ve left my mark.”

He had left quite a few marks, in more ways than one. Jigen glanced at the sky, at the glaring blot of the sun through his sunglasses. The sun was beginning to set, but just barely. What was it Lupin had said about the sun--about possibilities? 

“This one,” Jigen said, touching a pronounced divot in his collarbone, “I’m a bit proud of.”

Lupin surprised him by leaning forward, tracing the shape of it, the ropey edges. His touch sent Jigen’s pulse fluttering, suddenly aware of how close he was. 

“Why’s that?”

Jigen pursed his lips, “Aren’t you nosey?”

Lupin’s eyes slid to meet his, “Hey, don’t bring it up if you aren’t going to dish.”

Jigen folded his arms behind his head, leaning back on his towel, and Lupin frowned, laying on his belly in the sand, closing the distance between them again. He plucked Jigen’s sunglasses off.

“Hey--!”

“That’s better. Well~ Let me guess, was it a girl?” Lupin said, sticking his lower lip out. He’d crossed his ankles, waving his feet behind him.

Jigen shot him a look, “I said I was proud of it, didn’t I?”

“A guy, then.” Lupin guessed, a small glimmer of playfulness in his tone, but his eyes seemed less certain.

He smiled in spite of himself, his pulse roaring in his ears, “It’s a reminder.”

Lupin was quiet, his dark eyes muddy, conflicted. His fingers paused, hovering over Jigen’s collarbone. He didn’t meet Jigen’s gaze. “Of what?” 

“New York at the St. Regis. It was our first year as partners,” Jigen said, the memory swimming easily through his mind, “It’s weird because I remember a lot about that night but I can’t remember exactly what it was we were after. Some kind of jewel.”

“The sunspot ruby.” Lupin said, his expression still guarded, “We stole it from one of your old bosses.”

“That’s right. He had a marksman waiting on the balcony for us. My replacement, I guess.” Jigen said sardonically.

The gunman had been a surprise, but Jigen had heard the sound of the gun cocking, his ears buzzing with it. He remembered the sudden lurch of panic in his gut, his eyes tearing away from Lupin’s fingers gliding over the safe in the closet. Any other time he’d have saved himself, he always knew when to cut his losses and move on. 

He’d already surmised that it was more than just a fascination with Lupin by then, without really thinking he moved in front of Lupin, firing blindly, uncertain where exactly the bullet was coming from.

“The bullet ricocheted off of mine. It was a lucky shot, really.” Jigen said, “Still caught me, though--stung like hell, too.”

Lupin raised his eyebrow smugly, “A memento that you can’t be killed so easily, then.”

“No,” Jigen said, catching Lupin’s gaze. The words came out before he could really consider them, “A reminder that you were someone worth taking a bullet for.”

Lupin’s mouth fell slightly open, speechless, his hand dropping over Jigen’s chest.

It took all of his willpower not to look away, watching each microexpression flicker across Lupin’s face. Surprise, then maybe guilt, before his eyebrows softened.

Jigen’s hand smoothed over Lupin’s on his chest, the air between them suddenly thick.

“Jigen...” Lupin said unsteadily, his voice barely a whisper. 

Ears ringing with that voice, like a plea, Jigen breathlessly observed that same gaze, full of longing, directed at him. His heart was pounding desperately and he was sure Lupin could feel it, but he clumsily reached up to cup Lupin’s face, feeling dizzy. His fingertips grazed the stiff edges of Lupin’s sideburns, his thumb running along his jaw.

Jigen’s eyes flickered to Lupin’s mouth. The distance between their mouths was hardly any distance at all, Lupin’s eyelashes had already fluttered closed and Jigen’s heart stuttered at the sight of him, eyebrows slightly knitted, his face rosy, his lips slightly parted invitingly.

He was so mesmerized, he was completely deaf to the shouts behind them, the sound of frantic feet pelting the sand or the whizzing sound of a beach volleyball hurtling toward them. The ball struck Lupin square in the face, knocking him backward, his limbs flailing with surprise.

“Sorry!” panted a girl in a pink bikini, “God, are you alright?”

“Ara…?”

Jigen grabbed the ball and hurled it at the little group of mortified teens, “Watch where you’re throwing that thing!”

“Sorry!” They were already running off.

“Lupin.” Jigen said, sitting up so fast his head spun.

Lupin was laying on his back, eyes crossed. The ball had left an angry red circle over his forehead. 

“You okay?”

“Fine,” Lupin said, voice dazed.

Jigen felt a deep simmering resentment of volleyball as he sighed, “C’mere. Let me help you up.” He grabbed Lupin’s arms and steadied him.

Lupin blinked, laughing a little, “Woah, two Jigens. Did I die and go to heaven after all?” 

The moment had passed, he could have kicked himself. It was almost too much for him to bear. He let out the breath he was holding in, fishing his sunglasses out of the sand and slipping them on.

“Come on, let’s go.” He said, reaching for his shirt.

“Go? Hey! Wait, Jigen,” Lupin caught his arm.

“What?” Jigen said flatly.

“I was enjoying myself,” Lupin said, rubbing the red mark on his forehead.

“I thought you were bored.” He grabbed the cigarette pack out of his pocket.

“Hey, Jigen, seriously…”

“There’s a boardwalk over that way.” Jigen said, pulling his shirt on, “Let’s check it out. I’m craving something sweet.”

Lupin opened his mouth to protest but then he just nodded. 

They got up, walking unsteadily through the sand, Jigen struggling to light the little silver lighter, his thumbs were still shaking. He shoved the lighter in his pocket, his teeth tightening over the end of the cigarette. Jigen’s arm brushed his as they went, but Lupin’s eyes weren’t focused on him anymore, they were faraway, lost in his thoughts.

The sun was still high in the sky and reality had settled, soberingly. Painfully. There weren’t any possibilities to be had anymore, the fine line between what might have been and what was had been traced delicately in the sand between them. Jigen wasn’t a dreamer, he knew when it was time to cut his losses and move on.


End file.
